Kourneta: Upgrade of Tourism Education in Greece is Among Ministry’s Priorities

Evridiki Kourneta, General Secretary of Tourism, Greece; Mario Horvatić, Ambassador of Croatia; and Elena Miteva, Administrator, OECD.
Tourism education is a priority area of focus for the Greek Tourism Ministry, the General Secretary of Tourism, Evridiki Kourneta, informed during a recent round table meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) within the Croatian Presidency of the SEECP held in Zagreb. The round table focused on raising the quality of human resource in the tourism industry through education.
Representing Greece, Kourneta informed about the ministry’s four-year national tourism policy which includes the modernization of public tourism education through an upgrade that will focus on human values and follow the principles of sustainable development. In particular, she presented the structure of the tourism schools that are under the responsibility of the ministry and referred to the cooperation framework with other Greek ministries regarding upcoming changes in public tourism education.
Moreover, during the round table meeting, representatives from Croatia and Slovenia presented their national experience and good practices in tourism education for the upgrading of the sector.

Croatia’s Deputy Tourism Minister Olivera Shejbal and Greece’s General Secretary of Tourism, Evridiki Kourneta.
While in Zagreb, Kournetta met Croatia’s Deputy Tourism Minister Olivera Shejbal and exchanged views on the tourism experience, the challenges, opportunities and prospects for tourism development in the wider region of South-East Europe. The secretary general also met with Greek Ambassador Stavros Tsiepas and discussed the prospects for strengthening cooperation between Greece and Croatia on tourism issues.